Topeka, Kan. – Washburn University said that its faculty and staff will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine soon which will allow the university a full return to a more traditional campus environment this fall.
The university received word today that the Shawnee County Department of Health will now include Washburn’s faculty and staff in Phase 2B of the vaccine rollout. K-12 faculty and staff have already been receiving the vaccine as part of that group, but the university had not been included previously.
“We welcome this news as we prepare to provide a more traditional environment for our students this fall,” said Washburn President Jerry Farley. “We have been able to deliver classes in-person through the spring, but this additional level of protection should allow us to return fully to our traditional campus model.”
Farley said that Washburn was able to adjust quickly in the face of the pandemic and still deliver a quality education for students, but students made it clear that they wanted in-person classes and a more complete college experience. The vaccine will also allow Washburn’s classrooms to return to pre-pandemic capacities.
“We have adopted some additional teaching techniques and added significant amounts of technology as a result of the pandemic,” Farley said. “That has given us new capabilities and will continue to enrich the classroom experience moving forward. But there is still nothing quite like interacting with a professor in person – particularly in small classes like the ones we have at Washburn.”
The last step in finalizing the plans to return to more traditional classes was gaining access to the vaccine and that is now close at hand. The county will be providing doses of one of the available vaccines to Washburn but will be relying on Washburn’s own health service to vaccinate employees and provide the appropriate records to the county. The county has not said precisely when the vaccine will be available for Washburn, but a firm schedule should be coming in the next week or two.
Students will not be included in this phase of the roll-out, but Farley noted that the federal government is anticipating the vaccine supply to increase enough by May so that it is available to all adults.
“We continue to encourage everyone on campus to get vaccinated just as soon as it is available to them,” Farley said. “The vaccine is completely voluntary, but we are encouraging it for all faculty and staff who are physically able to take it.
“In the meantime, we continue to get ready for the fall,” he said, “and we will continue to require face masks on campus and are maintaining social distancing as indicated by the CDC and the Shawnee County Department of Health.”
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